This beautiful and unique table and stool set was inspired by the cloud lifts of Greene and Greene furniture. This piece is made from solid Burmese Teak which is a strong and lasting wood. It’s nice golden brown adds warmth to any room. The combination of good quality teak with the beauty of G&G cloud lifts has a special grace that beckons you to sit and have coffee. The legs are inlayed with purpleheart which gives a nice complement to the golden brown teak wood. The joints at the legs are solid mortise and tenon joinery. All surfaces are rounded and hand sanded to 240 grit making the edges inviting to touch.

Dimensions
The table is 710mm high and has a top 595mm in diameter.
The stool is 460mm high and 335mm in diameter.

Price
Table: S$600
Stool: S$400
Entire set: $1400
Please note that this is NOT outdoor furniture. Do NOT use in wet weather.

The above are clearer pictures of the baptismal font that I made in my previous post: Easter Church Furniture. A bowl is placed on top of the table to collect the water.

Plans are underway to improve the table such as a self draining wooden bowl to match the table. Front and side pannels with baptismal related icons (dove coming down onto water) are also in the plans. So stay tune.

It is a table approx 33 inches in height and a diameter of 14 inches. The difference from previous stool design (the prototype) is that the legs are an inch larger than the diameter of the top. The previous design places the legs in the same vertical plane as the top. This design is more stable than the prototype.

I’ve also added cloud lift to the stretchers under the top for visual interest. The bottom stretch was intentionally left flat so that a shelf can be installed in future. The future plan is to add side covering and conceal some form of container to collect the run off water from the self emptying bowl on top.

This prototype will be used in my workshop. It is the prototype for an outdoor stool and table set where two persons can sit down in the evening to chat and have tea. A few lessons can be drawn from the prototype.

The seat is 50cm high (approx 1’8″ high) which may be a little too high for people who are shorter.

The size of the seat at 1 foot seem comfortable.

The legs should extend beyond its circumference to improve stability.

Holes drilled to fasten the seat the the frame needs better consideration. It should be farther away from the post to allow for an electric drill to work the screws. This time, I had to screw it in by hand.

This year’s woodworking workplan include a set of 2 stools and a tea table. Also on my list is a set of bathroom medicine cabinet and vanity. So keep a lookout for my post on my bathroom furniture.

The above photos show the prototype of the stool which I intend to make this year. The actual product will be made of Burmese Teak. The stool measures 45cm (17.7 inches ) high and 35.5 (14inches) in diameter while the table will be 80cm (31.5 inches) high and 50cm (19.5 inches) in diameter .

I would like feedback on the design. Ignore the workmanship and finishing this time. This is only a prototype and I do not intend to waste time sanding and finishing it. The main purpose is to try out the stability and comfort of the final product.

Proud finger joint. I got lazy and omited the square pegs. Will put them in when I feel like it.

In the grand scheme of things

This is a Greene and Greene inspired wall cabinet which I use to house my tools.

I built this with the intention of practicing for a bathroom medicine cabinet. After I built this, I soon realised that it may not be practical for a medicine cabinet. Firstly, I don’t quite like the idea of placing wet toothbrushes inside a cabinet. Secondly, while the mirror is quite big in size (so that I can still see the top half of my body should I grow fat), it cannot be too low down near the tap. So this design and size would probably not do if it’s intended for a medicine cabinet.

Like my other pieces of furniture, I use Kapur wood. The carcass is a meter long while the breath is about 60 centemeters wide. The joints for the carcass is proud finger joints in line with the Greene and Greene theme. They are held by glue and screws. Rightfully, the screw heads are hidden by pegs; but since this is workshop furniture, I got lazy and put off doing the pegs. The shelves are dadoed into the sides. The carcass is held up by wooden bars that are screwed to the top and bottom via pocket holes. These wooden bars are then screwed to the wall.

The shape of the door rails were cut onto plywood to make a template. The wood was then routed on a router table. The rails are held in the stilts with mortise and tennon joinery. To make it stronger, screws are driven into the rails from the sides of the stiles. These are then covered with dowels.

A plywood pannel with white PVC is fitted into the door held by dado. This can be replaced by a mirror in place of the plywood.

A chisel and screw driver rack was then fabricated and fixed into the cupboard. I placed the entire cupboard onto adjustable supports before screwing it to the wall. A sprit level mskes the task more accurate.

Please feel free to leave any comments you like. It helps me learn, and for your benefit, most would agree that teaching others is the best way to learn. So do participate. Type in a line or two, so this blog would be more useful to those who visit.

Breadboard end pegged with white oak. Note the through tennons of the rails.

Handle made from white oak

This coffee table was inspired by the Gamble’s house Side table. In the original piece, the legs are thicker, and the cloud lift of the rail under the drawer is positively downwards. In my piece, the legs are more slender from the front and the cloud lift of the rail under the drawer is negatively upwards. I also have a shelf under the table.

The table is made from Kapur wood which is THE wood for door frames and window still. The top measures 90cm by 45cm. It is held flat by breadboard ends. The pegs are white oak which I think give a good contrast from the brown Kapur wood. Of course I could stain it black but I’ll leave it white for now It’ll probably age to a nice lighter brown.

The bottom shelf is made the same way. Notice that there is a gap all round the sides of the bottom shelf. It kind of gives the feel that the shelf is floating, at least that’s the intent. The shelf is actually secured to two sticks joining both lower rails together.

The legs are of similar shape to the Gamble’s side table. The side rails are held in by mortise and tenon joinery. Maybe I should have pegged those for an improved look, but maybe not; best to keep things simple especially for my first attempt at a Greene and Greene inspired coffee table.

The rails are joined to the sides with through mortise and tenon joints. The end of the tenon and mortises are rounded to give that soft feminine finish usually seen in G&G furniture. These are supposed to be the functional decorations for the sides.

The L shape was constructed using dovetail joint. The diagonal piece was attached with dowel joint.

This was another project I did early in my woodworking hobby. I needed a shelf in my belcony to house my plants. My belcony was also my wood workshop so I cannot afford a large space for my garden. As I live in an appartment, my belcony measures a mere 14 feet by 5 feet. Small for a workshop by any standard. And I have to share it with my plants!

The top was a slap of Kapur wood. It is used to make doors and window stills so I guess they would hold up and age well.

The shelf brackets are very strong. The L shape is done with dovetail joint construction. Normally, there is no need for such a strong joint in a simple shelf (butt joint will do) but I was practicing my dovetailing technique. The dignoal is held to the L by dowel joints. Do note how the grain of the diagonal runs. It should run along the length of the diagonal.

The shelf is finished with 5 coats of polyurethene varnish on each side.

The whole thing is mounted on the wall using plastic wall plugs and screws.

I realized that there is a lack of good furniture and cabinets today. There are many factory produced low quality furniture which may appear cheap and affordable. Many of them are constructed from compressed wood chips which self destruct when they come in contact with moisture. They are also generally not durable. Ultimately, it would be more value for money to buy quality furniture that last, than to be constantly changing furniture. Many would argue that you’ll constantly have new furniture at home, but why buy furniture with the intent of throwing it away?

Cabinets and furniture today are covered by a paper or foil laminate giving the place an artificial plastic feel. The use of laminate enables the designer to set a style by using colours to make the room brighter or give it a slick sophisticated modern look. But these lack the warmth that is much needed to turn a house into a home. Solid wood furniture brings with it a natural warmth that makes the room cosy, relaxing and inviting. No spa resort would use plastic chairs, why would I do so in my home?

Furniture made of solid wood will last a long time. Well constructed solid wood furniture can be expected to last more than a hundred years. It may be a bookcase I give to my children at a significant milestone of their lives, such as entering university, and they’ll use it, show it and talk about it to their children and grandchildren. These may also be antiques in future.

I custom make my furniture. Off the shelf factory produced solid wood furniture are quality controlled to be of the same shade and colour, and generally of the same design and the same type of wood. Buy a few of these and we’ll feel like we live in a furniture store. Custom made furniture allow some variation with the natural wood tone and grain pattern. To relax, would you go to the seaside to watch boats of different size and colour or a carpark filled with shinny new cars of the same colour? For me, its the former, why would I decorate my home like a carpark?

Custom made furniture maximizes space. Space is expensive in Singapore today. A piece of furniture 10 centimeters short is 10 centimeters of expensive air. 10 centimeters could be the thickness of 5 books, multiply it by the number of shelves in a bookcase and you’ll realize what you are wasting.

The problem with today’s furniture is the lack of good quality solid wood furniture which makes the home warm, inviting and relaxing; a heaven to return to after a day’s work, yet economical in the long run. Custom made furniture provides sufficient variation to make the room interesting and maximises the use of space. That’s why I prefer to make my own furniture.